Welcome
to this month’s Charity Sunday! Like most authors, I’ve always
been an avid reader. A love of books and reading is one of the most
valuable gifts one can give to young people – simultaneously a deep
pleasure and an invaluable tool for survival.
Hence,
this month, I am supporting Room
to Read, an organization promoting literacy, education and gender
equality worldwide, but especially in lower income countries. Their motto: World Change Starts with Educated Children.
Since it was founded in 2000, Room to Read has constructed over 1,900 schools and established more than 17,000 libraries. The charity has published more than 1,100 original local language children’s titles and distributing over 15.5 million books. More than 31,000 girls have received enhanced educational opportunities and life skills training. Overall, Room to Read has impacted the lives of more than 10 million children, in places like Laos, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Tanzania, and South Africa.
Since it was founded in 2000, Room to Read has constructed over 1,900 schools and established more than 17,000 libraries. The charity has published more than 1,100 original local language children’s titles and distributing over 15.5 million books. More than 31,000 girls have received enhanced educational opportunities and life skills training. Overall, Room to Read has impacted the lives of more than 10 million children, in places like Laos, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Tanzania, and South Africa.
As
is usual on Charity Sundays, I will donate one dollar for each
comment I receive on this post, between
now and next month's Charity Sunday. So if you’re here, reading this – take a
minute or two to comment. It doesn’t cost you a penny to do a bit
of good for the world.
Of
course, I’m also here to entertain you and make your visit worthwhile. Here’s a bit from my taboo erotic romance Miranda’s
Masks. The choice seems
appropriate since my heroine Miranda Cahill is a graduate student
working on her PhD in literature.
In this exclusive excerpt, Miranda meets the hero, and explains
her unconventional dissertation topic.
The
grizzled head of Harold Scofield poked through the door. “Hello,
Miranda. I am sorry to intrude, but I have someone to whom I would
like to introduce you.” Miranda smiled to herself; her genial
thesis advisor always sounded like a grammar textbook. The
gray-bearded figure in suspenders bustled in, followed by an
attractive young man in dark-framed eyeglasses.
“Miranda,
I would like to present Mark Anderson, our new lecturer. Mark will be
handling the Dickens course for the summer session.”
“Mark,
this is Miranda Cahill, my most promising graduate student.”
Miranda blushed, and Dr. Scofield’s eyes twinkled. “Miranda has
chosen a rather controversial topic for her thesis, a new
interpretation of the corpus of Victorian erotica.”
The
newcomer’s polite smile expanded to a grin. “Really. That’s
fascinating. Sounds far more—stimulating—than my dissertation on
the metaphorical significance of orphans in Dickens and his
contemporaries.”
Miranda’s
blush deepened as she noted the double entendre. She met his teasing
gaze, almost defiantly. “Yes, it is an intriguing topic, and I
believe one of considerable literary and social significance, as
well.” He had thick, dark hair, slightly tousled. His eyes behind
the glasses were velvety brown with glints of gold. In his face, she
saw intelligence, energy, and humor.
“Miranda
has championed an unusual theory, that the explosion of
sexually-oriented writing during the latter half of the nineteenth
century was a reflection of actual practices, rather than a reaction
against repressive public morals.” Her advisor appeared to be
enjoying the role of agent provocateur. “She believes that the
detailed accounts of sexual adventure and aberration published during
the era chronicled real experiences, not merely fantasies.”
“Hmm.”
Their bespectacled companion looked both amused and interested. “What
evidence do you have to support this proposition?”
“Well,
to begin with,” said Miranda, automatically adopting an academic
tone, “a significant fraction of these writings are first person
accounts. And a surprising number are related from a woman’s
perspective. If this were primarily a literature of fantasy and
titillation, I would expect a male point-of-view to dominate, as it
does in modern pornography.” Miranda was encouraged to see that her
audience listened attentively and gave due consideration to her
points.
“Secondly,
these tales are full of real-world details and commentary that would
be superfluous and even distracting in fictional erotica. The
protagonists discuss social issues such as poverty, child abuse,
oppression of the lower classes, things that can only detract from a
work intended as escapist fantasy. Even a hack pornographer knows
better than to mention the unpleasant or the mundane, illegitimate
pregnancies, unpaid bills, rising damp. Yet references to such items
are common in the corpus.
“Finally,
I find in many of these writings a thoughtfulness that conflicts with
the conventions of the pornographic genre. The narrators are engaged
in a wide variety of sexual activities, which are described in vivid
and provocative detail. At the same time, in many cases, they reflect
on their own desires and behaviors, sometimes justifying themselves
in the face of the official morality, sometimes castigating
themselves for weakness and sinfulness. Either way, there is a
psychological depth that would be redundant in fictional erotica.”
“So,
what you are saying,” interposed Mark with a grin, “is that a
fictional character would simply go ahead and bugger his maid,
whereas an individual writing a clandestine diary would spend some
time and effort wondering why he wanted to bugger his maid, before he
got around to actually doing it?”
“No,
no, that’s not it at all!” Miranda, embarrassed and flustered,
wondered if the new instructor had been reading her manuscript over
her shoulder. Her eyes flashed. “You’re not willing to take me
seriously, any more than the submission review committee for the
Association for Modern Literature!”
“Now,
Miranda,” soothed her advisor. “Mark was just teasing you.”
Looking again at the attractive stranger, Miranda saw that Scofield
was telling the truth.
“Sorry,
I didn’t mean to offend you.” Mark held out his hand like a peace
offering. “I really am delighted to meet you. Your theory is
unconventional and provocative, but who knows, it might actually be
true.” His skin was cool and dry, the pressure of his fingers firm
and confident. “Let me take you out for coffee, and you can tell me
more about what your research has turned up thus far.”
As
he released her hand, he brushed his fingers lightly against her
palm.
The
secret, sensual gesture terrified her. Miranda found herself reacting
as she so often did in the presence of a man who desired her. She
felt herself tense, contract, her fears and uncertainties condensing
into a dense, cold knot under her solar plexus. Her face was stiff
and wooden as she tried to smile. “Thank you, but I can’t right
now. I have an incredible amount of work to get done.”
“Diligent,
industrious Miranda,” her advisor scolded her lightly. “You need
to take more time for yourself. It is Saturday, after all.”
“Thanks,
but I need to work harder. I need more evidence to support my theory.
Deeper study, of a larger number of texts.”
“Please…”
Mark began, disappointment plain in his voice. Then he saw clearly
that she would not be swayed. “Well, maybe another time.” He
smiled so warmly that the icy knot thawed slightly. “I definitely
would like to get to know you better, Miranda.”
~~~
Barring
any unforeseen issues, the book should be out at the end of the week.
Don’t worry, I’ll let everyone know!
Meanwhile...
why not leave a comment and share the gift of reading?
19 comments:
Not that previous charities weren't worthy, but this month I just HAD to comment. I mean, how could I possibly not support this charity considering I am a reader, a writer, and a librarian. I hope you'll get tons of comments and good luck with the upcoming release, it sounds fascinating (as does that theory).
Great choice of charity! And a very enjoyable snippet. I particularly liked Mark's pithy summary of her approach. Tee hee. Isn't it so awkward to have one's mind read at the first meeting??
Wonderful choice of charity.
What a great charity! And the excerpt was fun, as a first meeting it really went well beyond simple introductions!
As a avid reader and hubby of a women's libber, I salute your choice for the charity event. Keep up the good work and looking forward to your new story.
Thank you for the sexy snippet and for your generosity in supporting such a worthy charity!
Great idea, Lisabet!
Great charity to contribute to.
Fun!
Another worthy cause, Lisabet! Good luck with the new release.
What a great cause!
Good excerpt, Lisabet, and up to your usual literary standards. A very worthy cause you're supporting this month, too.
Tim Smith
Great cause and intriguing excerpt, Lisabet.
It is so awesome that you are doing this. What a great cause too!
Great cause and very generous of you to do.
Once again a great snippet. Mark's words provoking aganst for Miranda's research. Will be very interesting to see how you let their relationship blossom. And what a wonderful charity for you to support.
Fantastic charity (and ooh, hot boy in glasses)!
--Trix
Great snippet, Lisabet, and well done for supporting such a worthy cause.
Thanks to all for your comments! Just donated $20 to Room to Read.
Come back tomorrow, for my December Charity Sunday post.
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